Adolfo Consolini


Adolfo Consolini was an Italian discus thrower. He competed at the 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1956 Olympics and finished in 1st, 2nd, 6th and 17 place, respectively. While winning the gold medal in 1948 he set an Olympic record at 52.78 m. Consolini won three European titles, in 1946, 1950 and 1954, and 15 national titles.

Biography

Consolini was the youngest of five children in a farmer family. His first athletics competition was a local stone throwing contest in 1937. A few months later he started training in the discus; already in 1938 he finished fifth at the European championships, and in 1939 won the first of his 15 national titles. In 1941 he set a new world record at 53.34 m, which he extended to 54.23 m in 1946 and to 55.33 m in 1948.
Consolini retired from top sport after the 1960 Olympics, but continued competing at the national level until the age of 52, when he threw 43.94 m in Milan. He married Hanny Cuk, an Austrian, and had a son Sergio with her. The family settled in Milan where Consolini worked at Pirelli company the rest of his life. He died aged 52 from a viral hepatitis.

Achievements

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventMeasureNotes
1948Olympic Games London1stDiscus throw52.78 m
1952Olympic Games Helsinki2ndDiscus throw53.78 m
1956Olympic Games Melbourne6thDiscus throw52.21 m
1960Olympic Games Rome17thDiscus throw52.44 m

National titles

He won fifteen times the national championships at senior level.